Luchi/aloo bhaja

Aloo bhaja - fry small pieces of potatoes with salt and turmeric

Luchi:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
sprinkle of sugar
1 tbsp of oil

Mix with hands, add a little water at a time until dough is tight
Make small (2 inch) flat balls with the dough
Add a little oil (cooking spray) on counter and rolling pin; Use a rolling pin to flatten balls until thin
Heat oil (enough to deep fry) in a saucepan until boiling, then reduce to medium high heat
Fry flattened balls until swells, then flip (not more than a few seconds on each side)

*Bengali specialty - can also have luchi with sugar

Echore (jackfruit)

1 can of jackfruit
Remove from can, drain and wash with water
Cut into small pieces
Fry cumin (1/2 tsp) on oil
Add jackfruit pieces, add turmeric and salt and fry until brown (with cover)
Fry small pieces of potato separately (with salt and turmeric), then add to jackfruit (with cover)
Add cumin and coriander powder, and ginger, then sautee jackfruit on low heat with cover
When more or less done, then add a little water, leave on low heat until done, add ghee

Laoer tarkari

Long squash, peel, cut into very small cubes
1/2 tsp cumin - fry for a few seconds on oil (enough to cover pan)
Add long squash
Turmeric, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger
Cover pot, leave at medium heat
When squash has sweated out water, then can uncover pot to let water dry out a little

Maach

Maach bhaja:

Cut salmon into pieces. Add salt, turmeric, a little garlic powder. Heat oil on medium high heat, then add pieces. Fry each side until done.

Maacher jhol:

Put in kalo jeera (black cumin seed) or paach phoron. Fry fish pieces but don't need to fry as much - half fry. Add jeera/dhone powder, ginger, 1 tsp turmeric, salt, water, cover on medium high heat, reduce to low heat when comes to boil.

Potol

Year round, Bengalis feast on various types of vegetable curries (tarkari). Plates are filled with heaps of lao (long squash), pepe (unripened papaya), beans, phulkopi (cauliflower), and begun bhaja (fried eggplant). Starting in the fall, though, the harvest season starts to taper off and fewer varieties of vegetables are available.



1. Potoler tarkari
2. Potol bhaja
3. Doi potol

Potol bhaja:

Cut head and tail of each potol. Half (hot dog style), add salt and turmeric. Fry in oil (enough to cover pan) on medium heat until brown.

Potoler tarkari:

Cut head and tail of each potol. Peel but leave some skin. Half each potol (hamburger style). Peel aloo and cut into small pieces (same size as potol) - if small, then melts into dish.

Add oil (enough to cover pan) and heat - when warm, add jeera phoron (whole cumin - 1/4 tsp), fry for few seconds, then add potol, 1 tsp turmeric and salt. Add potatoes when potol has been sauteeing for a few minutes. Add another 1 tsp turmeric and salt. Sautee on medium heat with cover. Stir frequently. When sautee is done, reduce heat to low and add powder jeera (cumin) and powder dhone (coriander). OR alternative: curry powder. Also add half tsp ginger. Continue to sautee for a few minutes. Then add a little water - enough to cover the vegetables, then reduce heat to low, cover, and let vegetables cook. Continue to cook until potatoes melt into curry. (takes about half an hour to cook)

Doi potol:

Same as above, but add 1 tbsp yogurt when adding powder jeera and dhone. 

Kaach kolar bora

2 green bananas - remove head and tail, cook in pressure cooker for 5-10 minutes.
Remove, let cool slightly. Peel bananas while still warm.
Crush bananas, add 1/4 onion, ginger, 1 egg, salt, green pepper, cilantro (if desired). Makho until gluey. Make bora.

Add enough oil to cover non-stick pan. Fry both sides until golden brown. 

Kaach kola bhaja

Peel green banana with a knife. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces. Add 1 tsp turmeric, 1 cup water (enough to cover) and green banana pieces to a bowl and leave for 1 hour. The sap will come off, but if it doesn't, then wash a few more times with turmeric/water.

Sautee with canola oil on medium heat until light brown (make sure it's tender). Add salt.